Bahry, the MENA region’s newest streaming platform dedicated to marine life, is powered by a robust architecture developed by systems integrator White Peaks Solutions. In this exclusive, Vijaya Cherian explores how the platform’s founders and tech partners are navigating content, scalability and user-first design.
In a market saturated with generalist content, one startup is taking the plunge into a surprisingly underserved niche – marine life. Bahry, a new streaming platform based in Kuwait and dedicated entirely to the world of oceans, boats, fishing and seafood, has launched with bold ambitions and a robust tech stack from systems integrator White Peaks Solutions.
“Marine life has always been a source of inspiration for the people of the Middle East and North Africa,” says Anwar Al Nafisi, founder, Chairman and CEO of Bahry. “With most countries in the region located along the sea, they enjoy diverse marine cultures and traditions that deserve to be explored and shared with the world.”
Casting a wide net
Bahry is not just for yacht owners and deep-sea divers. From the outset the platform has cast a wide demographic net, targeting men and women aged 16-70 with a specific focus on marine enthusiasts, fishermen and boat lovers interested in marine life.
“We identified a significant gap in the market, both on the B2B and B2C levels. There’s high demand for a platform that can cover the full spectrum of the marine and nautical industry from A to Z,” explains Al Nafisi.
That range is reflected in the content strategy. Bahry offers a mix of entertainment, education and scientific programming, updated weekly. “The goal is to build a library that appeals not just to professionals but also to curious general viewers. While the platform includes a selection of licensed programming, 80% of Bahry’s library is built around original productions,” says Julian Hanna, Head of Content & Production at Bahry. “We are telling stories no one else is telling, with production values that match global standards. This is core to how we differentiate ourselves.”
Currently focused on growing its footprint in the MENA region, Bahry nonetheless positions itself as a global platform in both scope and streaming reach.
Hybrid monetisation, seamless UX
In terms of its business model, Bahry has opted for a hybrid SVOD/ AVOD strategy. “The SVOD tier gives premium users full access to our exclusive content, documentaries and early releases. At the same time, our AVOD option allows a wider audience to engage with our platform for free, supported by relevant and non-intrusive advertising. This dual approach enables us to effectively cater to diverse market segments,” says Al Nafisi.
That value proposition is paired with a bilingual, intuitive user interface that supports both Arabic and English. Key features include personalised watchlists, recommendations and a live 24/7 FAST channel that plays live content on a rolling schedule.
The engine under the hull
Delivering that experience required a purpose-built technology stack, fully developed and integrated by White Peaks Solutions. “Bahry is built on a modern, modular OTT architecture leveraging a headless content management system (CMS) – FAULIO – for maximum flexibility across devices, with a microservices backend that’s built to scale,” explains Jessy Abou Habib, COO of White Peaks Solutions.
Each application was developed natively to ensure optimal performance and user experience. SwiftUI for iOS and tvOS apps, Kotlin for Android mobile and Android TV, and platform-specific native development were applied for LG (webOS) and Tizen to fully align with their respective SDKs and design guidelines.
The web experience was built using Nuxt 3 to deliver a fast, responsive and SEO-friendly interface. FAULIO powers the backend, with MySQL for data management. The online video platform runs on White Peaks’ proprietary solution KWIKmotion. For content delivery, Bahry uses Akamai CDN and KWIKmotion’s live streaming infrastructure to ensure low-latency, high-quality playback.
For payment workflows, Bahry integrates with MyFatura for web payments while native payment gateways are used for both Apple and Android devices to ensure a seamless in-app purchase experience. More integrations with mobile operators are in the pipeline.
“Our solution is built using a microservices architecture, allowing for seamless orchestration and virtually unlimited scalability. It is fully multi-cloud compatible, enabling us to distribute services across different cloud environments efficiently. Designed from the ground up to handle high traffic, the system incorporates intelligent object caching, which ensures optimal performance and supports many concurrent users without requiring extensive infrastructure. And we utilise AWS for cloud storage with Amazon S3, alongside Akamai’s storage solutions,” explains Abou Habib.
FAST and feature-rich
The FAST channel is delivered through a linear playout system supported by KWIKmotion, with SCTE-35 ad insertion. “Our system provides a playout to schedule content and deliver it through KWIKmotion’s live streaming infrastructure. The system allows for dynamic ad insertion and SCTE-35 integration,” says Abou Habib.
Offline downloads are also supported for mobile devices, with options to choose video resolution and file size. “The download process begins with a visible progress indicator and continues seamlessly in the background, storing the content locally on the device for offline access.”
From an advertising standpoint, Bahry’s AVOD offering is powered by Google Ads, integrated through FAULIO, with support for VAST, VMAP and SSAI ad tags. This allows the platform to plug into major SSPs and exchanges for dynamic and efficient ad delivery.
Analytics are also front and centre. KWIKmotion (Player and CDN) is integrated with NPAW, which provides real-time dashboards for tracking viewer behaviour, playback performance, engagement metrics and overall platform health.
Securing the stream
Security and compliance have also been addressed as part of Bahry’s infrastructure. The platform maintains ISO 27001 compliance and adheres to GDPR standards, with rigorous testing pipelines that include automated, unit, smoke and regression testing.
“We use dedicated sandbox environments to implement and validate all changes before deployment,” explains Abou Habib. “Our testing strategy follows a structured multi-level pipeline. These tests are embedded into our CI/ CD workflows to ensure quality at every stage of development. As part of our commitment to ISO 27001 compliance and GDPR adherence, we maintain strict control over data handling in our test environments and conduct regular security reviews to ensure the protection of personal and sensitive information. Once quality assurance (QA) signs off on functionality, we proceed with deployment.
“For web applications, we generate new builds in a controlled manner. If any errors occur during the build process, the existing production HTML files remain unaffected, preventing any disruption to the user experience. For mobile platforms, we use TestFlight for iOS and Firebase App Distribution for Android to distribute pre-release versions internally to the QA team. After successful internal testing and approval, the apps are submitted to the respective app stores for final review before being made available to users.”
User authentication is handled through 2FA and opaque tokens. Multi-profile logins and parental controls are supported out of the box via FAULIO, providing users with personalised and secure access across devices.
“We believe strongly in making the platform fully inclusive and accessible across all media formats,” says Abou Habib. To that end, AI-powered closed captions are available in both VOD and live formats, with real-time transcription and translation. Text-to-speech features support viewers with visual impairments or those who prefer audio narration.
Moving forward
With 4K, HDR and immersive video formats already supported through KWIKmotion, Abou Habib says Bahry’s architecture is designed to be future-proof.
Al Nafisi, however, points out that Bahry is just getting started. “This isn’t just about where we are now; it’s about where we’re going. From content to technology, Bahry is built to grow.”
While niche OTT platforms often struggle to scale, Bahry is betting that a global audience of marine lovers is hungry for something more focused and authentic. So far it’s off to a steady start in the MENA region, with its sights set on broader horizons.
“The sea connects us all. Bahry is here to tell its stories above and below the surface,” concludes Al Nafisi.
